Modern Vespa

I am considering going to LA for AV. I have never experienced the need to carry extra gas. I would like to take the back roads this time around. When you do that the gas stations with premium gas are not always available. So what is the best way to carry gas on your scooter? I thought about getting the floor rack from Patrick Digde but it seems that everytime I go get gas for my lawn mower the container (which was bought at Wally World) does not hold and gas leaks. I would really like to find a leak proof container to carry the gas between my legs on the floor rack. Yet I am open to any ideas members may have.

Classic Rack on the footplate and strap a 2 Gallon can on it.

Simple.

Bill X

MSR makes a small fuel bottle that is about 30 oz I think. Some have used a Kolpin Fuel Pack Junior (1.5 gal) http://www.amazon.com/Kolpin-Fuel-Pack-Junior-Bracket/dp/B003UYYH3E with success. Even found creative ways to mount it.







Some more pics here Strategic Petroleum Reserves...updated

More info

http://www.kolpinpowersports.com/fuel-packs-brackets/fuel-packs-and-brackets.html

Rotopax are on sale today Cyber Monday

http://rotopax.com/

http://rotopax.com/1-Gallon-Packs/

A bit too pricey for me.

I had the floor rack confused I come to find out. Patrick does not have them. Just checked Classic Racks. And they are pricey too. Will check the RotoPax some more. Thanks Perry.

Edit:

What is the best way to mount the pack to the GTS250 rear rack?

Stainless steel thermos. R

MSR bottles work just fine.

Lots have traveled many miles with a 2 gallon can strapped on where the floor rack would go. No need for an expensive solution. I'll look for a picture. Maybe it was turkman or gogogordy.

I recommend...a container. Much less mess that way.

Hello Max,

Whatever solution you choose, I think it is worth considering the weight distribution of everything you have to carry while on your journey. I think that the GTS (and the LX) have much of the weight on the rear wheel. If you tend to load too much weight behind the back wheel, such as in the top box or on the rack, the weight distribution goes even further back. This leads to 'squirrely' handling. I am not sure if you have a front rack or not, but I would tend to make sure you have some weight loaded up front, such as between your feet on the floor, or on the front rack.

Hope you find a solution and your journey is enjoyable!

I put this guy in the pet-carrier!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002CEPOB2/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is what I use.......
http://www.touratech-usa.com/Store/PN-070-0573/Touratech-3-Liter-Fuel-Canister
Since these pix were taken I now use the same gas containers but with a different mount, in the same location. I carry the spout in the trunk or pet carrier. They do not leak.

I really wouldn't worry much about not being able to find premium gas. Regular works just fine, especially in a pinch!

This is the new mount also purchased from Touratech. Which was modified easily to work with the two gas containers.

Thanks for that RotoPax link and the heads up on their Cyber Monday sale! Just ordered a water/fuel combo pak and a locking mount and extension.

I used the 'Twisted Throttle-Fuel or Water Bottle Mount' on the Vespa GTS. (looking for pictures)
If I saw the Wolf Bottle Holster I would have purchase that instead.

Mounting Kits:

Twisted Throttle-Fuel or Water Bottle Mount

Twisted Throttle-Tool Tube Canister w/ Mounting Kit

Wolf Bottle Holster

This is my new solution on the Aprilia Mana: Wolfman Wolf Bottle Holster from Dual Sport Plus (Canada) as the TT bottle mount blocks my tail light. I might install the TT on my wife's scoot.. If it does not work for her it might be for sale for $20. (Retails for $31.99CDN. I paid $49.92US with shipping)

The Wolf system IMO seems easier to install and with it's straps offers more options on where it can be attached. Will post pictures soon.

Not my Vespa (can't find a pic). But this was my solution on the Vespa GTS. I attached the bottle mount bracket with a Yellow Turn Key Hose Clamp to the rear rack. The bottle and mount was high enough that it did not interfere with cars/bikes behind seeing my brake/running light etc...





Another way..


This will be my solution for the Mana.

MAX i like Tex's setup. Cheaper and just as good. We used MSR bottles when i used to backpack. Good stuff. TEX where do you get the clamps with the turnkeys? Never seen them. Very nice. Have fun on your adventure my friend.

Most hardware stores sells them. Pluming department - Ask for 'Turn Key Hose Clamp'
even try RV shops they might call it 'sewer hose clamp'

You want cheap go to the hardware store and pick up 4 of these and attach them using the screws on the battery cover. Then you can strap a standard gas can to the floor hump.

Perfectly simple!

Out of curiosity, where do you put your feet. May ok for a short hop, but if you're needing extra fuel, you must be journeying afar - surely can't be very comfortable.

The cans are on top of the battery door. He still has the left and right platforms for his feet. No?

I've gone across country a few times on two wheel vehicles, including a 1978 Yamaha 650 with a 120 mile range, that I rode through death valley,and I can't ever remember needing to carry gas in the US. In Patagonia between Chile and Argentina is another story. Where do you expect to find that this is the case, and what do you think will happen to your bike if you had to fill it up with regular gas once or twice? What do you think will happen if you strap a bunch of gas cans to you bike and have a blow out and watch the bike slide down the road throwing up sparks?
If you are really concerned about running out of gas, as opposed to being concerned about tnot finding the grade you need, get a one gallon container and carry it with you. Fill it when you get to a place where you fear you will run out of gas, and put it in the tank when you get where you are going. I have met and know a lot of people who have travelled all over the world on two wheels, and I don't think one has eve said he or she was woried about not being able to find the grade they needed.

If your main concern is not being able to find premium fuel at the stations along your route, I would recommend bringing a bottle of octane booster (S.T.P or similar). When you mix it with crap-fuel it becomes "premium". Store the bottle under the seat with a couple of those aluminum thermo bottles with spare fuel on (excellent idea, by the way!)

Isn't fuel suppose to be in red containers?????? That is what I was taught. what has changed. Hopefully I am trainable.

If you are on the open road, burning through tanks of gas, it doesn't matter if you buy premium or not. It's not going to weld the piston to the cylinder or cause the engine to explode. I've bought gas on the side of the road in Baja California that was in 1 gallon water bottles, and the guy strained it through a teeshirt in a funnel. There are so many things that are more important when you are traveling on two wheels than whether or not they have your grade or there is a shell station or are the bathrooms clean. When you bog your mind down with the minutiae, you lose sight of why you are out there. If you come to a station, fill up. It's a lot safer than strapping the potential for a substantial explosion to your scooter.

Depends on the state and how astute the regulating agency or cop shop is about enforcing standards. Based on my personal experience I always use red for gas. We've knocked this around several times before. Some do follow the standard, some don't. YMMV.

Oh that sounds too officual fo me/

BBCode correction/

Hmm. Looks familiar

https://modernvespa.com/forum/post1483745#1483745

For my tour last summer (click here), after pondering all these alternatives, I opted for the Classic Rack and a 5 liter red gas can. It seems to me that it's the most cost effective way to carry a decent amount of spare fuel.

The MSR bottle route is a little cheaper, but you don't extend your range much.

MSR bottles are $30 a pop and the clamps are about $5, for a total of $65 to carry 2 liters.

Didge's Classic Rack is about $90, the gas can was about $10. So $100 total.

For the extra $35 you carry 3 more liters. That gives you real peace of mind. Plus the foot rack balances the weight better, is more secure, the dedicated gas can is easier to fill and fuel the scoot with, and the rack can be used to haul other stuff.

The Rotopax is a really nice solution, but is also the priciest.

I posted a video of my bike fully loaded. I'll dig it up and repost it here.

You're going to really enjoy your trip!!

Edit: here is the video:

serious reply: MSR bottles are something I've used before & will use again. If you go that route and expect to refill them on the road, pack a syphon hose and refill them from your tank, NOT the pump. It WILL splash back all over you if you try to fill from the pump, no matter how careful you are.

(Experience talking...only did that once.)

What carrying extra gas will do .....is give you more confidence to go that back road that doesn't have a filling station for 100 or 120 miles. You may never need your extra gas! I'm not at all worried about having a accident and things exploding. Dam, if I worry about everything, my trip won't be much fun.

+1 in 3,000 kms, I refilled from the gas can twice, each time as a convenience, not out of necessity.

Here is a quick and dirty option I put together for our long trip. I had the gas bottles already and found that a quart paint can was a perfect fit for them. Took a spare 1x4, screwed the cans to it and mounted on the front rack with a couple of conduit brackets. Then just a small bungie to secure them to the rack.

Crossing Nevada there is a section where it is 240 miles between gas station. Several rites through Utah we took were 140-190 miles between stations. In one place there is a gas station around 100 miles between Monticello and Hanksville (180 miles) but it only opens when the owner feels like it at a campground on Lake Powell. Mostly western state are where I get concerned and carry gas. From Kansas to NOLA I wouldn't worry about gas. The occasional tank of a lower grade gas won't hurt the scoot especially if it is real not ethanol gas. Typically when I haven't found premium at a station in a rural area they offer non-ethanol in its place. Rather than carry gas if you your concern is the grade of gas available you could simple get some octane booster from an auto supply and add it to lower grade gas.

It's 60+ miles from the last gas at Shoshone Ca to. Death Valley Junction Ca.

If you fill up in Shoshone, to make DVJ and then plan to ride anywhere in DV from DVJ for instance, you'll need gas to do so and still be able make it back to Shoshone for gas (120+ miles from/to gas). Add in some wind and maybe a little more spirited speed and gas gets even more precious quicker.

Ive run out twice now a few short miles from gas at Shoshone.

Of course there IS gas at Furnace Creek, about 43 miles from Death Valley Junction as well. If they havent run out...

It's a personal choice and dependent on where your travels take you but I typically carry extra gas. Its a small insurance against a major walk!

I'll jump aboard the MSR Fuel Bottle wagon.

When I started touring on a scooter I'd strap a plastic gas can to the floorboards. The extra gas invariably just came along for the ride...I never had to use it. However, my main issue was that the big can took away one of the great comforts of riding a scooter...the convenience of a step-through frame.

(I should state that due to a congenital hip condition, I'm probably one of the least flexible people on the planet, having the range of motion of your average wooden clothespin. )

I eventually went over to the MSR bottle under-the-rear-rack solution. The bottle is tough, legal, small, and out of the way. On my motorcycle, I just stuff one in one of the saddlebags. No, it doesn't hold a lot of gas, but unless you are riding in very remote areas, it will likely get you to the next gas station if you screw up by not topping off when you passed that last gas station. And you can always add an extra bottle if you want to.

You may never need it, but one time pays for all. Anyway, knowing that I have some spare fuel on a long trip through parts unknown adds a little more comfort to the ride.

I agree and probably should have stated my opinion more clearly. There are times and places where it is prudent to carry gas, because there is a likelihood that you will run out before reaching a station, but to carry two and a half gallons of gas across the US because you are concerned that you won't be able to find premium is, in my opinion, very dangerous. So much can go so wrong so fast. When I do long trips, I carry a gas can, and when I know that I am going to exceed the reach of my vehicle, I fill it up, and then when I am about to run out, I put it in my vehicle.